Beyond Final Fantasy VIII
by Tears Of Love
Summary: This story takes place a while after the game. Seifer Almasy is back, and he is determined to desroy Squall's life. Squall and the group of SeeD's plan to stop him once and for all, but a chance meeting with a young, yet powerful sorceres may change every


Beyond Final Fantasy VIII  
  
Ch.1: Amorous Everheart  
  
Written by: Dagger Tribal  
  
  
  
The young raven-haired beauty stood at the window of the small hut she called Home. Her twinkling-blue eyes glanced up at the setting sun. "Tomorrow," she thought to herself, "tomorrow is the day that I shall see what is beyond." A small grin crossed her fair face as she retired off to bed. *~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*  
  
Rinoa Heartilly stood at the balcony, beyond the training center, her raven- black hair blowing in the wind, as her chocolate-brown eyes glanced at the rising sun. She woke before squall, for once, got dresses and went here.  
  
She hardly had any time to herself lately. Upon her return from the time- compressed future, everyone had been treating the six of them as heroes, legends. And not just in garden- they were all international heroes. Sure, at first it was pretty cool, but she could handle only so much. But it was squall they were really interested in. He was the young leader of the group who finally defeated the evil sorceress. Rinoa kind of felt sorry for him; he really didn't seem to like talking to the media at all (not that she could blame him).  
  
"You're up early," came a familiar voice from behind her. She slightly grinned at the sound of her beloved voice.  
  
"Squall, morning," she glanced at him, then back at the scenery in front of her. Squall, seeing that she was not yet ready to move from her spot, wrapped his arms around his lover's waist. They stayed that way for several minutes as they watched the sun rise in the distance.  
  
"Beautiful." Rinoa turned and gave squall a gentle kiss.  
  
"Ok, I'm ready," Rinoa proclaimed before the two, hand in hand, walked off to the cafeteria.  
  
Somehow, this beautiful raven- haired girl had managed to work her way into his life until life without her seemed unbearable. After the defeat of Ultimecia, she'd taken up SeeD entry classes. While she may have been a bit old, at the age of 17, no one could argue that she wasn't as capable as any SeeD. Nonetheless, Rinoa had insisted that she be tutored properly. Squall and Rinoa had grown very, very close very, very quickly, and within a week they had both agreed that separate quarters were not for them. And, amazingly, despite Cid's dislike of students getting romantically involved with each other, he had not only granted they're request but moved them to the "Honeymoon suit" of the garden, complete with a King- sized bed. Squall, at first, had been tempted to turn it down, but when he saw the grin on Rinoa's face, he that they'd be happy in their new quarters. They spent every night together, except for the odd ones when Rinoa was on an outside training mission.  
  
"Hi," was the echoing welcome they got as they entered the cafeteria. Zell, Selphie, Irvine, and Quistis all sat waiting at their usual table.  
  
Quistis was the first to speak, as the couple took their seat, "Cid wishes to speak with us."  
  
"About what?" Squall and Rinoa asked at once. Quistis shrugged.  
  
"Don't know, but it sounded important."  
  
"Well," Squall Stood, "Let's get going." Instantly the rest stood and fallowed the couple out of the cafeteria.  
  
"Have a seat," was Cid's welcome as the group entered his office. "You, all, have been assigned to go on a mission," Cid began in a deadly serious voice. "This mission is of vital importance; "We have recently received a video from." he stopped seemingly unable to continue.  
  
"From?" Squall despondently asked.  
  
"From." Cid slowly continued, "Seifer Almasy." Suddenly the group all at once began rambling; some cursing his name others simply speechless.  
  
Squall finally spoke out, "How?" he half asked half demanded, "What does he want?"  
  
"He," Cid began, "Well, in lamest terms, wants to," Cid paused, "get you back-"  
  
"Back?!" Squall yelled at his instructor, as Rinoa squeezed his hand, calming him slightly, "for what?"  
  
"Everything," Cid responded with slight sarcasm, "apparently everything wrong in his god forsaken life is your fault." Cid handed Squall a video, "I suggest you watch it for yourself."  
  
Squall grabbed the video, and raced out of the office with Rinoa fallowing shortly behind, as the rest just sat there, not knowing what to say, or think for that matter.  
  
"Squall, wait," Rinoa yelled attempting to catch up with him. Squall, although not fully calmed, turned to look at Rinoa.  
  
"I'm sorry, Angel, it's just." Squall began  
  
"God, I'm not asking for you to apologize, Squall," Rinoa paused, "I totally understand, your pissed- me too. Everyone gets Majorly peeved whenever we hear his name." She continued with a semi-grin, "But, when your gonna charge out of a room, at the very least you should wait for me!"  
  
Squall slightly grinned back, only for a second, before bringing his attention back on the video he held in his hand, "Well, I would insist for you not to see the video, but knowing you, that would be pointless," Rinoa nodded in agreement as Squall continued, "So, let's go see this video for ourselves." He grabbed her hand as they ran off to their room.  
  
"Hello Squall began the video recording. Both squall and Rinoa could not help but to give a slight shiver as they looked into the television. The face may have changed somewhat- his hair was longer, but the sneer was still the same. The stare was still the same. The voice was still the same. That scar, almost identical to Squall's was still the same.  
  
He went on, "Oh, and if you happen to be wondering what I've been up to, well, let's just say I've been keeping busy since Ultimecia's defeat. I've traveled around a 'bit, stayed with a couple of friends, and at some point ended up in Deling city. You remember that place, don't you, Squall? Were you first disgraced me? Well, while I was there I truly had a revelation. I realized that I could clearly blame all the regretful things that had happened to me, to one person-you."  
  
'You brought this all on your-,' Squall thought, 'regret, could he actually'  
  
"Oh, sure," Seifer continued, obviously not comprehending what he had just admitted, "you had help, from the instructor, or should I say Ex- instructor, the little messenger girl, the cowboy, and let's not forget everyone's favorite chicken-wuss. But, what really hurt me the most, were you really stepped over the line, was that you had to bring her into it-"  
  
'Me,' Rinoa thought to herself as she held back tears.  
  
"You make me sick. Is there something about everything that I have that you want, Squall? Even when we were kids, at the orphanage, I longed for Elle to spend time with me, to talk to me the way she talked to you, but no. You had to have her all to yourself. We enrolled in the same garden, at the same classes, and even there you had to top me. I take up the gunblade, and you decide that you shall as well. My command of the mission, my entry into SeeD, you take it all."  
  
'It wasn't like that,' Squall thought.  
  
"And, then," Seifer continued, "You have to take the one thing I cared about most. The one thing I loved most."  
  
Squall, feeling Rinoa shake as a tear fell from her face, held her close. "You don't need to listen," he whispered, as Seifer continued.  
  
"I shall get back at you once and for all, not to mention your little garden that made me an outcast. I will destroy your life, I promise."  
  
Rinoa glared at the television despondently, still being held by he love, as Seifer continued.  
  
"And if I were you, Squall, I'd never let her out of my sight- you never know when you'll wake up one morning, only to see her throat slit from ear to ear. Goodbye."  
  
That was it, Rinoa couldn't take it anymore, she burst out in tears, as Squall just held her even closer.  
  
That afternoon Cid called for Squall to discuss departure time, and Rinoa. The meeting ended with two basic decisions- they would be leaving later that evening to find Seifer, and Rinoa wouldn't come along.  
  
"Not fair," Rinoa yelled childishly at Squall, "why not!?"  
  
"You know why not, Rinoa, you saw the video," Squall replied trying to calm his, "He threatened you life, Angel, I couldn't stand putting you in such danger." Rinoa sat on their bed, 'He's right,' she thought to herself.  
  
"Fine," she replied, half pouting, she didn't look up to him, she might of understood, but she still didn't like it.  
  
"I'll be leaving in a couple of hours; just enough time for me to inform everyone of the plan, and to get ready," Squall told Rinoa, before heading out the door.  
  
At the meeting, Squall told his plan to find Seifer- they were to go to FH, and find out from, the two friends Seifer mentioned in the video, Raijin and Fujin were Seifer was.  
  
Having a little under an hour to pack, he headed to his room only to find his belongings already packed by Rinoa. As he walked into the room, Rinoa turned to him with a sympathetic grin, "Um, hi, I, um thought that if I packed your bags," the raven-haired beauty sat herself on the bed as she continued, "we may have some time together before you had to go." Squall simply nodded with a smile, as he walked over to her.  
  
"Ok, get aboard," Squall said to the group of SeeDs, as he glanced over at Rinoa, who was there to see him off, "Zell, once you get on up to the bridge, take us to FH.  
  
"No, prob," was Zell's reply as they all entered the Ragnarok. Upon embarking they all took their seats as they headed to FH.  
  
As they all disembarked, they saw an all to familiar sight of Fujin, picking on Raijin. "Idiot!" she exclaimed across the bay, were she was standing at the end of a pier over a paranoid Raijin, and was kicking him at the same time, "come on."  
  
"No," Raijin's familiar voice wined as he crouched over, looking at the reflections in the water, "She was scary, ya know?" suddenly Fujin had hauled him up onto his feet.  
  
"What now?" he demanded, dusting off his pants,  
  
"Company," Fujin replied. Raijin turned his head to look at whatever it was that had grabbed Fujin's attention, and quickly- a group of people he recognized very well.  
  
"What do you want?" Raijin asked Squall, folding his arms and putting on the biggest frown he could muster. He was trying to give Squall the impression that he wasn't welcome, Squall wasn't in the mood.  
  
"Were looking for Seifer," He bluntly said.  
  
"Nerve," Fujin exclaimed, threatening.  
  
"Maybe, he doesn't want to be found," Raijin said, equally threatening. Squall sighed- this was going to be harder than he first thought.  
  
"We need to find him, guys," he started again. This time, however, Raijin decided he'd heard enough already.  
  
"After what you, did to him," he began, "like we'd tell you anything!"  
  
"Hey!" Selphie shouted. "What do you mean, what we did to him?" She was in Raijin's face.  
  
"Don't play dumb with me, little girl," he replied, scornfully.  
  
"RAGE!" Fujin shouted, drawing her weapon as Raijin produced his quarterstaff. Upon this, Selphie drew her shinobou, closely followed by Irvine and his gun, and Quistis with her whip. Squall sighed, and pulled out his gunblade.  
  
"This is your last chance, fellas," Squall began, placing a finger on the trigger, "Tell us or-"  
  
"There's no need for that," a young angelic voice replied from behind the group. The group of SeeDs glanced at the tall, thin girl, as Fujin and Raijin slowly turned to face her. Her mysterious blue eyes glancing back.  
  
"It- it's her," Raijin stuttered, looking fully- fearful of this young girl. She couldn't have been any older than 16, Squall thought, somewhat amused by Raijin's reaction.  
  
"Why don't you mind your own business?" Fujin replied, trying to guise her own fear with anger.  
  
The young, blue-eyed beauty, ignoring Fujin's questioning, continued, "Raijin?" she turned to the petrified man, "Now, you obviously remember the last time we crossed paths," she began to twirl her right hand as sparkling lights began to form around it, "So, if you wish for history not to be repeated-," There was now flames dancing on the tips of her fingers. Raijin was glaring at the flames, fear apparent in his eyes. Fujin stood behind him, just glad she wasn't the one being threatened.  
  
"Ok," Raijin, couldn't take the taunting anymore, and gave in, "He left here a couple days ago, said something about the orphanage. I would probable check there if I were you."  
  
"Now, go," the girl remarked throwing the flames between the two as they ran off. She changed her attention to the scarred leader, "Is that what you wished to know?" She slyly grinned.  
  
"Yes, but why did you-," Squall began but was quickly interrupted by the girls voice.  
  
"May I travel with you, all?" She walked over to the group of SeeDs. As Squall attempted to speak, he was once again interrupted, "I could be of some help, I mean, I do have some pretty powerful spells, and I," this time she was interrupted.  
  
"You're a sorceress?" Selphie blurted with full inquisitiveness. The young girl quickly answered without hesitation.  
  
"Yep, an Ultima Sorceress to be exact," this was returned with confused glances. "Um, it's a kind of immortal sorceress of both white and black magic, and a special type of summoning.  
  
"Immortal?" Selphie questioned.  
  
"Yep," the young girl once again replied. "I can't really die, not to mention age." her face suddenly bared a hopeful grin, "So, can I travel with you, all?  
  
"Sure Selphie exclaimed until looking at Squall's unpleased face, ".um, of course it's really up to Mr. Leader, here," she nudged squall playfully.  
  
"Umm." Squall paused, realizing he did not know the girls name.  
  
"Oh!" the raven-hared girl grinned somewhat amused with herself, "I'm sorry, I didn't properly introduce myself. Name's Amorous Everheart, and as of today I'm 16 years old." Following her introduction, Selphie quickly introduced the gang, which included Zell, whom made his appearance shortly after Amorous' appearance.  
  
"Um, Amorous," Squall began," I don't, the mission is-"  
  
"SeeD only, right? Amorous interrupted, "Can't you make an exception, just this once?"  
  
"Umm."  
  
"The oddly silent Zell spoke, "No offense, Squall, but we may need the help," Zell remarked, seemingly unable to keep his eyes off this beauty.  
  
"Fine," Squall answered unsurely.  
  
"Thanks," Amorous exclaimed, then spun to glance at the setting sun, "Were staying for the night, right?"  
  
"I don't know," Squall replied.  
  
"Come on, man," Zell pleaded/ yawned, "It's getting late and I'm tired!" The others did an agreeing nod. Squall gave in, after all he was a bit tired himself, and leaded them all to the inn. 


End file.
